Israel is very relevant to Olivia Chow's candidacy because some of the major proponents of the "Israel as apartheid state" and the BDS movement are key supporters of Olivia Chow and with whom she is identified. It is now time for Ms. Chow to take responsibility for her silence.

New democracy is more about citizen activism than backroom shenanigans and pressing for transparency than secret dealings. It ultimately opts for cooperation over contention, public policy over punishing partisanship, and a sense of the integration of power over its ideology. So, can someone send the Old Boys' Club a memo?

I must confess that there was an awful lot about Canada's 2011 General Election I simply didn't "get." But I certainly didn't get why Michael Ignatieff, a perfectly ordinary if uninspired Canadian party boss, stirred such loathing his Liberals plunged to a historically unprecedented third-place standing. And neither, it seems, does he.

Journalism should be a celebration of life in all its vibrant, chaotic, exuberant variety. It calls people to come out to the circus. It's ruined by pretension and high-mindedness. Journalists are not there to pronounce absolution on a fallen world. They're not there to call us to a better life. They are there to show us who we are and how we live.

I gather from all the media hype that Canadians are supposed to be waiting with bated breath and pounding heart for the "Second Coming" i.e. Justin Trudeau's non-announcement this week that he will enter the Liberal Party's leadership race. I say non-announcement as I don't know anyone who pays attention to politics who actually thought Trudeau would sit this one out.

Why is it that some in the Liberal Party of Canada are using the disturbing and polarizing language of ageism? It has become open season on the "old guard". Older people seem to be framed as out of touch and constitutionally unable to cope with change.
Of course, fresh thinking and new energy is indeed vital to any organization. However, "fresh" doesn't necessarily mean young. To me, "new" and "fresh" has nothing to do with age and everything to do with mindset, values and sincerity of purpose.

For decades, the province has been sleepwalking in the illusion of its success as a social democracy. Tragically, that dangerous mindset has become entrenched in the minds of a new generation that has known nothing else. Should the PQ emerge victorious in the upcoming election, and successfully negotiate a separation, Quebec could become far worse than Greece -- and without a European Community equivalent eager to bail it out.

Over the weekend a new poll was published that said a majority of Liberal and NDP supporters are in favour of merging. I'm not one of them. This isn't a matter of political expediency. I'm mystified at why so many Liberals appear so ready to fold the tent and call it a day on one of the most impactful institutions in Canadian history.

Looking at the history of U.S.-Canadian relations, Harper appears to believe that progress in reducing economic barriers for Canadians has been faster and more profound when done bilaterally with the United States. It isn't deepening integration that Harper approaches with caution, but trilateralism.

For the first time since Confederation, the once mighty Liberal Party of Canada was neither the government or official opposition. Layton became the first New Democrat to be sworn in as Her Majesty's Official Leader of the Opposition, another historic moment brought to us by May 2nd's election.

There are obvious potential caveats to the open primary system, but right now, with a party backed up against a wall with no place else to go, there aren't really a multitude of options. I applaud Mr. Rae for having the bold initiative to think outside the proverbial box.

I can safely assert that the Liberal Party is as good as dead. In all their history, the Liberals have never had to face an opponent like Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He is intelligent, ruthless and calculating. And right now Harper is using all his power and all his skills to exploit to the fullest every Liberal weakness.

Ten years later, my thoughts on 9/11 are the same as they were standing in the House of Commons on Sept. 18,2001: "My son put it best: 'We are all just earthlings and we have to learn how to share this rock.'"

You can bet your bottom Loonie that the biting, elegant prose of the WikiLeaks cable on the Liberal Party has exposed the weakness in political thinking at the very centre of the party under Ignatieff. They also show how astute American officials can be in assessing the political tea leaves.

The techniques that Stephen Harper has used to obliterate his opponents resemble the dumbing down, divisive and winner-take-all gladiator political culture of the U.S. That is largely our own fault. We have short attention spans and want quick fixes.